Iga Swiatek says every part of her game is “in the right spot” as she put her rivals on high alert with a near perfect display to reach the round of 16 at Melbourne Park.
The world No. 2 said she felt “fresh and relaxed” heading into the second week of the tournament as she stood her best chance of winning a maiden Australian Open since her 2022 semi-final defeat to Danielle Collins.
Swiatek took just 70 minutes to crush former US Open champion Emma Raducanu 6-1, 6-0, thumping 24 winners to nine as she fired an ominous warning shot to the contenders who remain in her path.
The Polish star won the final 11 games in the match, but denied afterwards she had been trying to prove a point to any detractors of her hard court abilities with the clinical display.
“I don’t take it personally with Emma (Raducanu) – I wouldn’t say I’m ruthless,” Swiatek said.
“I just try to have the same kind of attitude and the same kind of focus no matter what the score is, but it’s not like I want to show something.
“I’m just playing my game, and if it’s working, why stop it? You always have to keep going, and it’s not over until it’s over.”
Swiatek holds four of the past six French Open titles, but that dominance has not transferred to Australian shores, where she departed in the third round in 2024, and the round of 16 the year before.
“I think everything (has) changed, because last year I think was the toughest Australian Open I have ever had,” she said.
“The draw was pretty unlucky for me – still, if you play well, you are able to get through that – but I remember I was just tired, and didn’t move well.
-“I also had some things that bothered me physically as well, so now I feel much more fresh and everything is in the right spot and working … I can just focus on the game.
“I feel less stressed, and it’s helping me for sure. I feel more relaxed, and with my game I feel a bit more confident than last year.”
German lucky loser Eva Lys, who has forged a remarkable path to the fourth round after being called up to face Australian Kimberly Birrell just 15 minutes before their first-round clash, will meet Swiatek on Monday.
Lys beat unseeded Romanian Jaqueline Cristian 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become just the second woman in 30 years to reach the fourth round of a grand slam as a lucky loser.
A Swiatek win would set up a quarterfinal bout with either No. 8 seed Emma Navarro or No. 9 Daria Kasatkina.
Swiatek’s run to the final is helped by both Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff playing in the other half of the draw, and she said she would be more confident facing Gauff than when the pair met in the United Cup final, where Gauff claimed a 6-4, 6-4 victory.
“I couldn’t give 100 per cent in that match with Coco … obviously she earnt it and played really nice and pretty aggressive, but at the end I couldn’t really move much because everything hurt me,” Swiatek said.
“I would like to play again with Coco when I’m more fit and ready to run, because with Coco, you need to be pjysically ready … the rallies can be long.
“I won against Elena (Rybakina) for the first time on hard courts (at the United Cup), so it was nice (for my confidence).”
